Theresa May has been warned by a farming union to prepare for the upcoming European Union parliamentary elections as Brexit uncertainty continues.
The Prime Minister blamed MPs for delaying Brexit and told the public she in 'on their side' on Wednesday (20 March).
It comes as there are just eight days to go before Britain is due to leave the EU.
She had written to EU leaders seeking an extension to the Article 50 period until 30 June. It follows MPs voting last week to delay Brexit.
A leaked internal EU diplomatic memo suggests that the leaders of the 27 Member States, who must approve any extension period, will have to choose either a short extension before May 23 or a long delay until at least the end of the year.
The memo states that an extension until 30 June “...would entail serious legal and political risks for the European Union and would import some of the current uncertainties in the United Kingdom into the EU27” and that “any extension offered to the United Kingdom should either last until 23 May 2019 or should be significantly longer and require European elections.”
But the Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW) has now warned the Prime Minister that preparations must be made for EU parliamentary elections in May to avoid taking options off the table which are in the 'nations' interest'.
FUW President, Glyn Roberts’ letter states that while the union supports the revocation of Article 50 in order to take 'full control' over the Brexit process, “...if a short delay is agreed by the EU but Parliament again finds itself unable to reach agreement in the weeks leading up to the new deadline, we may have no choice but to leave the EU without an agreement if we have not made the necessary preparations for the European Parliament elections in May.”
Mr Roberts acknowledges that there “...may be mechanisms by which to overcome ...[the problems of having to hold an MEP election]...such as rolling over the representation of current MEPs, but given that the EU requires notifying of candidates and arrangements in the coming weeks, we believe it is essential that preparations should be made for a possible European Parliament election in May.”
He goes on to say: “Failure to do this is likely to take one or more of the future options available to the UK off the table in the event that a further or longer delay is, later in the year, deemed to be in our nations’ interest.
“While I appreciate that such a decision would be controversial and unpopular amongst some, I would emphasise that vast numbers of businesses and individuals fully appreciate the complexity of withdrawing us from a relationship built up over 46 years, and understand why respecting the outcome of the Referendum without inflicting damage on the UK’s economy can only be achieved if Brexit takes place over a safe and realistic timescale.”
